HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1997-05-14, Page 241144911E NUMMI fzPusrTOR, May tit, UM
Parallels of past & present at Blyth Festival
8Y 1DAVIUBCA1'T
Expositor Editor
Flow did a city -girl end up
starring in a play about farm
life and tum arutwd a country
theatre that was losing
money?
"1 stopped in July 1972 in
Seaforth with my father: 1
was on my way to tied a fawn
near Clinton, which I'd never
been to, on the 13th or 14th
hie," said Janet Amos. Blyth
Festival's artistic director.
She spoke to senior card
players about Blyth Festival's
past and present seasons at
Seaforth Legion Branch 156
recently. Back 25 years ago,
the stopped here in town on
her way to meet with actors
and a director from Theatre
Passe Muraille for what
would eventually become
The Farm Show.
Amos. burn in Toronto,
wanted to act in the early
1970s but was having trouble
finding work. "1 almost
decided not • to. 1 was fed up.
But then Paul Thompson. the
director. asked me to come
up (to Clinton) fur six weeks.
The old farm house the
actors stayed in had no run-
ning water and a tire had to
be put around the fridge to
hold the door shut. "We had a
two -burner stove. Either the
oven or one burner would
work. When my dad dropped
me off he said 'don't be
afraid to call and we'll conic
and get you.' "
It was an interesting sum-
mer. said Blyth's current
artistic director. We inter-
viewed people. worked on
farms." The actors quickly
realized how busy farm life
was. Characters in the. show
were based on real people in
the area. Janet played Jean
Lobb. now deceased. who
was the aunt of her husband.
actor Ted Johns. who was
born in Seaforth.
Amos didn't think too
much would become of the
play which was performed in
a barn. But it went on to be
done in Toronto. England.
Saskatchewan. Vancouver
and other locations. When
The Farrar Show finished its
premiere in Clinton. the cast
"was off and on the road for
live years.- A TV show and
movie was made of the play..
0 was 25 years ago this
summer that The /arm Show
was first staged. •"My son
Chris will be 27 in two
weeks." He was two -years -
Janet Amos speaks to
seniors at Seatorth Legion.
old when he lived with his
mother. the actor, in an old
farm house • with a bunch of
other actors that summer in
'72. The Farm Show was
also performed at Stratford's
Festival Theatre. "11 was the
first time a Canadian play
was performed on the
Stratford stage."
Festival Bellies in 1975
• Two summers later a group
of citizens in Blyth wanttad to
start a theatre. James Roy of
Clinton. now an executive
producer for CBC radio
drama. started the Blyth
Festival the next summer in
1975. Only two shows were
performed that first summer,
one was a play by Harry
Boyle. about farm life. called
Mosth in Clover. Kos want-
ed to do plays of local inter-
est -Canadian plays - since
there was already Grand
Bend and Stratford which did
bit; shows and Shakespeare.
Blyth tickets sold fur $2.50
in 1975 and 3,000 people
came to the theatre that first
summer. Annual atten.dancc
is about 10 times that now.
Janet -Amos directed the
Blyth Memorial History
Show in 1977. Her second
son was born the day after
the play opened. "Ted was
here in Seaforth rehearsing
Shakespeare for Fun and •
Profit at Cardno's Hall."
The first stint for Amos as
Artistic Director was from
1980-84. The year before she
took over. attendance was up
to 13,000. Under her direc-
tion in 1980. numbers shot up .
to 20,0(X) and by the time she
left in 1984. 30,000 people a
summer were attending.
Those numbers did peak at
40,000 a few years later but
then plunged down to 20,00(
to the years following.
She returned as Artistic
Director (A.D.) in 1994 and
took the Blyth Festival from
the red to the black in one
season by running a good
CHRISTMAS CRAFTS
& COLLECTABLES
329 Durham Market Sq. Kincardine, ON
Across from Victoria Park (519) 396.2656
�l>
I.ti.n rl ( 1 KAI)I 11r vv.,
(.1115 r(,K .V.1 (1((.\till
•Angels •Mohair Throws
Candles •Gourmet Treats
•Gollectables •Pottery
•Hand Blown & Painted Tree Ornaments
...aud much much more!
GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE
.10, I,.," ., h .,1
\K I (,.\l I.Iit' 1 1,N IA
I ' :1alums' 10 ajar. 4:80
AVMS11 ' `€*»con - 5;00 p.m.
Allay 4% -Ballots ,10.440.
•
mixture of plays that drew
the audience back to Blyth.
Numbers are now up to the
range again.
30.000
1997 Blyth Semen
She introduced the 1997
season by talking about play-
wright Anne Chislett, the
oew A.D. for 1998, who was
the Festival's fmt administra-
tor in 1975. In Janet's second
year as A.D. in 1981, Quiet
in the Land. written by
Chislett, opened the season.
History is repeating itself as
this stirring drama. about an
Amish family during World
War 1 opens the '97 season.
The play won the Chalmers
Award in 1982 and the
Governor General's Award in
1983.
"In 1920, the Blyth Hall
was built as a memorial to
World War 1 veterans." said
Amos. There are memorial
plaques on the walls by the
front: of the stage honouring
the local veterans who were
killed in the First World War
and those who served in
World War 11. Normally, they
are taken down during the
theatre season so they're not
damaged but during the per-
formances of Quiet in the
Land, they remain up as a
reminder of the history and
heritage of the hall.
Director Paul Thompson
will be presenting another
collective. like last year's
Barndunce Live! This sum-
mer's production by
Thompson is called Booze'
Days in a Drs County.
"When the guys got back
from the war. .a lot of places
.had prohibition in effect. It
created a lot of underground
alcohol sales. In Blyth there
were five different places to
buy booze," said Amos.
The third show of the sea
son is There's Nothing in the
Paper by David Scott of
Seaforth. "It's a'story about
the frustrations of running a
small town newspaper - the
Shadowville Examiner.
There's two old guys, Sam
and Hank, who point out mis-
takes in the paper every
week. A new paper conies to
town and starts printing
rumours and gets everybody
stirred up. George, the editor,
has to decide if he's going to
give up or fight."
The fourth show of the aca-
son is the comedy Melville
Boys. "It's a lot of fun. Two
brothers go away to their
family cottage for a quiet
weekend. The younger broth-
er invites two girls in From
the lake."
This play has special mean-
ing for Amos because it pre-
miered at her very first sea-
son at Theatre New
Brunswick in 1984.
There will actually be a
fifth show un the main stage
at Blyth this summer - a
revival of Barndance Live.'
from last season which cele-
brates the old CKNX travel-
ling country and western
music show in southwestern
'Ontario.
A sixth play. a one-person
show by Deborah Kimmett
called Overboard!, tells the
story of a young woman who
does too much. has two chil-
dren and goes on a cruise.
Kimmett 'appeared in
Garrison's Garage in 1984
and is a director with the
Second --City comedy troupe.
Overboard is being staged at
The Garage theatre on
Dinsley St. in Blyth.
AKEY BROS.
PAINTING is
DRYWALL
McLaughlin
Choy -Olds Ltd.
13 main St. Susterth. 527-1140
'Service *Selection *Savings
•Satistactwn 'Leasing
'Complete BODY SHOP Service
•
Tan TUTUM Y... to replace Canadnls amsuafist
avpatiai sanith a genuine "Pro -Canada" opposition that ie assay to
pat atiseijsn Canadians give Reformer the mandate.
VIM 4111PPOETUNITY... to tell Jean ChraStien and Paul
Illittrtia that the Canada Pension Plan is nothing but a lag ash
eurrsataed future Canadian workers? The CPP tat is Mingalp
raga total of 11a27Wyriemployea+empioyer by 1111ttr;2salEe
sasslly. la this fair? By any standards C3' :is a had ,
AIN( ataratt that kills joke, jobs, jobb. Reform will giatratilme the
ataineatadaisauza is give people a better alternative.
1111: 1$ PORTUNTITY... to elect a government who's
atelieisa and prineipfea have been carefully developed overall) year
agakisd by gram roots Canadians" Bay :SIQ. to Liberal -hay Party
gljslii-amt,matpiled in a 10 week frenzy by the party leader and a
law oisseaasoeiates!
THE OPPORTUNITY IS YOURS TO HAVE
... The Commitment!
... The Party That Pute'You First!
.... The Warranty(
DOUG
FINES
VOTE REFORM
SPBBiH
THE JEWS!
This weekend is the
Victoria Day Holiday.
The Huron Expositor will
be closed
MONDAY
MAY 1 qt"
ALL DEADLINES
EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING — 1:00 deadline
CLASSIFIED WORD ADS — 1:00 deadline
WILL ADVANCE TO
FRIDAY, MAY 16' 1:00 P.M.
The staff at the Huron Expositor wish you a
est„ • ! . • • • ' ration.
ogiriore
STA P CHOICE